If you use generative AI tools for assignments, academic work, or published writing, ensure you properly acknowledge and cite the AI-generated content. Always check with your instructor before using AI for coursework.
Citation norms for AI-generated content are evolving, and major style guides offer preliminary guidelines. Publishers may have their own rules.
Key principles for citing AI-generated content include:
Remember, citations serve to credit the original creator and help others find your sources. Use these principles when deciding how to cite AI-generated content.
MLA Cheat Sheet: Citing Generative AI
Element
How to Apply for AI
Author
Do not treat the AI tool as the author.
Title of Source
Describe what the AI generated; include the prompt if not included in your text.
Title of Container
Name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).
Version
Specify the AI version (e.g., ChatGPT 3.5, version date).
Publisher
Name the company that made the tool.
Date
Date the content was generated.
Location
Direct URL to the actual chat/conversation. If not shareable, provide a note or screenshot in an appendix.
Works Cited “Your prompt here.’” ChatGPT, version GPT-3.5, OpenAI, 5 Nov. 2025, direct link here
In-Text Citation (“Your prompt here.”)
Usage Statement / Note ChatGPT was used to generate initial explanations. All final writing and analysis were completed by the author. Secondary sources cited by ChatGPT were verified. The full chat is linked in the Works Cited and/or included in an appendix for transparency.
Source
https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
APA Cheat Sheet: Citing Generative AI
Why Cite AI?
Academic integrity requires acknowledging when AI contributed text, ideas, or analysis. AI tools cannot be authors, they are cited as software.
APA Citation Format
Here is the template for citing an AI tool generally:
AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description; e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool
Parenthetical citation: (AI Company Name, year)
Narrative citation: AI Company Name (year)
Citing an AI Chat Response (APA 7)
Here is a reference template for a specific AI chat:
AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat
Author Note Example
I used ChatGPT to brainstorm and summarize background information. All writing and analysis are my own. AI responses were verified using academic sources.
https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-references
Chicago style requires that you cite AI-generated content in your work by including either a note or a parenthetical citation, but advises you not to include that source in your bibliography or reference list. The reason given for this is that, because you cannot provide a link to the conversation or session with the AI tool, you should tread that content as you would a phone call or private conversation. However, AI tools are starting to introduce functionality that does allow a user to generate a sharable link to a chat conversation, so this guidance from the Chicago Manual of Style may change.
Here are some general guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in Chicago style:
Format: 1. Author, Title, Publisher, Date, url for the tool.
Example (if information about the prompt has been included within the text of your paper):
1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
Example (including information about the prompt):
1. ChatGPT, response to "Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients," OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
